First of all, let me just say that this was our first cruise ever and it was an absolutely fantastic experience. We were very concerned with what we were about to get ourselves into because of the number of bad reviews that we had read prior to leaving. However, none of the bad reviews we read wound up being even remotely true. We actually made jokes amongst ourselves about other passengers that obviously were the perpetrators of such bad reviews for petty crap.
For example, once when we got off an elevator, we were greeted by a really ticked off woman who couldn't find her cabin (big deal - it happened to all of us for the first three days because the ship is sooooo big!) Anyway after pointing her in the right direction, off she went without so much as even a thank you let alone a smile. "There's a bad review" we would joke!
Embarkation: quick, no hassle, no problems whatsoever. We arrived at the port about 10:45 and were on the ship an hour later. Food: everything was great - from the buffets to the dinners. Our waiter, Estilto, was exceptionally polite and went out of his way to make sure that everyone of us was completely happy with our orders. The food itself was first class, from the appetizers to the entrees and deserts. How anyone can compare the dining room experience and food